Klim key to de Bruijn's success

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Dutch star Inge de Bruijn and Australia's Lisbeth Lenton, rivals in the 100 metres freestyle, get acquainted on Wednesday.Picture:Vince Caligiuri

Michael Klim could find himself invited to dinner as a measure of thanks should Inge de Bruijn upstage Klim's Australian teammates Libby Lenton and Jodie Henry and defend her 100 metres freestyle title.

The Dutchwoman's coach Paul Bergen revealed on Wednesday how six years ago he decided to change de Bruijn's stroke, and model it on that of Klim, who had just won seven medals - including four gold - at the 1998 world championships in Perth.

When it was suggested that Lenton and Henry would have a bone to pick with Klim should de Bruijn beat them, Bergen suggested: "Or Inge could take him to dinner. I think that would be better.

"I usually taught this high, bent-arm classic freestyle that Ian (Thorpe) uses. But I could never get my swimmers when they pick up their kick to pick up their tempo. Every time they'd kick harder, their arms would go slower. I really thought that Gennadi Touretski (Klim's coach) had got on to something with that straight-arm freestyle but with the kick.

"After the '98 worlds, we watched Michael Klim do really well and I thought, he's using a straight-arm free like Janet Evans but he's got a big kick with it. So in the spring of '99, after world shortcourse, we changed her to a straight-arm. That was not a fun week for Inge or me, because she didn't want to do that.

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"She was the world champion shortcourse and here I wanted to change her stroke. I said she must. I couldn't have the best swimmer on the team not doing it so she made the change, reluctantly, and then maybe a week later it was a little better, a week later it's a little better and the results that summer in '99 at the Europeans were very good. She was sold then."

The former and current world record-holders came face to face on the pooldeck on Wednesday. They chatted about the record and compared nails - Lenton has hers done in green and gold - before both hit the pool to prepare for the showdown in next Thursday's 100 metres freestyle final.

"It was really nice to meet Inge and her coach Paul Bergen," Lenton's coach Stephan Widmer said. "Inge said to Libby - in a really nice way - 'Oh, you're the one who broke my world record?' Libby said, 'Yeah, I'm sorry.' Then Inge said, 'Don't be sorry. Good on you.' Then the girlie part of the conversation started and I left.

"It was good. They're just nice people and human . . . I'd never met Paul Bergen. I want to meet as many coaches as possible and learn from that. If you can pick up one little thing it's always a better thing."

Bergen said he congratulated Widmer on Lenton's performance. He added it took both de Bruijn and him by surprise, although they knew the Australian girls were getting faster. But he conceded that it could take a world record to win the 100 freestyle final.

"The freestyle events are just so much tougher than Sydney. It's going to be much more difficult this time around. But, the good news is I think she's tougher mentally . . . The bad news is, those darn Australian girls they're very fast," he said.